One of the special bonds that students and parents share is the hassle associated with Carlmont parking lots.
Carlmont’s parking lots have resulted in an overflow of students and parents parking in nearby streets such as Chula Vista Drive. Despite their actions being completely legal, they have caused many local residents to become upset with the several cars parked on their street.
This is due to the small size of Carlmont’s parking lots. The lots lack a sufficient number of spaces for the number of people that wish to park.
“The basic problem is there is more demand for parking at Carlmont than there is supply,” said Belmont Mayor Charles Stone.
This dilemma has a ripple effect on commuters in the area, as the streets around the parking lot become a traffic jam of people who hope to claim a parking space. As a result, students and parents alike have a desire to rush in and out of the parking lot to avoid the problematic traffic, possibly ignoring simple driving laws.
“My daughter was nearly hit by a car because one parent thought she should have the right of way over a pedestrian already in the crosswalks,” said an anonymous source.
Carlmont has attempted to fix these issues in the past by bidding on land close to the school in the hopes of creating a separate parking lot outside of the school. This plan eventually fell through, as Carlmont’s bid was too low to gain the land. Making a parking structure on campus was considered as another option but was eventually deemed too expensive for Carlmont.
One plan that has been successfully implemented is the parking permit plan. The price of parking permits rising to $100 is one way driving in Belmont is subtly discouraged. SamTrans has also contributed to the discouragement of driving.
“SamTrans has tried to help by adding additional routes from San Carlos that serve Carlmont as an option that doesn’t involve parking,” said Stone.
Although Carlmont has come up with many solutions for this parking predicament, there are currently no known quick fixes to the complication.
“I haven’t heard anything this year. I’m not sure there’s a solution that’s feasible,” said Stone.
Even though Carlmont may not have a solution, perhaps they can look to others, especially students, for advice.
“Carlmont should open the back road for pickups to reduce traffic in the senior parking lot,” said Brian So, a senior.